Windows Server

Doug · Guest

Paul,

Here is my scenario:

Server1 - Windows 2K Service Pack 4
Server2 - Windows Standard Server 2003, Service Pack 1

DFS Root: Data
DFS Links: Resources,Aerials, & Projects

My problems exist with the following file types...:

Word, Excel, Word Perfect, AutoCAD.

1) Word - reverts to Original file written. For example, coworker opens
a new word document and saves it. Coworker, opens same document the
next day and makes some revisions or adds more information and presses
save (does not rename the document). Coworker opens same document the
next day to find that none of his changes have been saved.

2) Excel - same as above, but sometimes renames with a hexadecimal
name, such as 9DF48000.

3) Word Perfect - same as Word.

4) AutoCAD - File is created on Server1, but when coworker returns to
file, it is gone. File can often be found on Server2 in same folder.

These scenarios are intermittent and do not occur everyday.

Please let me know what you think may be occuring.

Thank you.

Paul Williams [MVP] · Guest

Hi Doug!

Sounds like they are being modified on the two different link targets within
replication intervals. The newest wins in this case (FRS replicates files
in sequential order according to when files are closed).

This is an issue with volatile data and a loosely-consistent replication
mechanism.

You can force all users to use one link target over another, but across a
WAN that is probably not a good idea for you. You could, I guess, increase
the replication times...

--
Paul Williams
Microsoft MVP - Windows Server - Directory Services
http://www.msresource.net | http://forums.msresource.net

Doug · Guest

Paul,

Thanks for your reply. The replication is set to replicatate 24x7 and
the files are typically used by one user only. What do you mean by
"volatile data"? The newest wins scenario does not seem to apply in
this case since the files are reverting to the older versions of the
same file. Actually, the files are reverting to the original file
created with these scenarios. Also, today I noticed that the backlog
had gone from manageable on Thursday to over 1000 backlogged files on
ww-server2 as of today. I also noticed that the RPC remote procedure
call had a problem that had not occurred before prior to the grand
backlog:

Event Type: Warning
Event Source: NTDS Replication
Event Category: DS RPC Client
Event ID: 1232
Date: 9/6/2005
Time: 12:32:54 PM
User: NT AUTHORITY\ANONYMOUS LOGON
Computer: WW-SERVER2
Description:
Active Directory attempted to perform a remote procedure call (RPC) to
the following server. The call timed out and was cancelled.

What do you think, how could I trace the point to where all these files
changed. I know they couldn't have been changed by a user, seems
something may have gone awry somewhere else.

I also know that the internet went down during this period of time for
more than 24 hours.

Any ideas...?

dknell27 · Guest

Paul,
I think we determined that the installation of Service Pack 1 onto
Windows Server 2003 caused all of the security permissions for the dfs
share folders to change, thus changing each child folder and files
below the parent folders. Okay, so I am going to install Windows
Server 2003 in place of Windows Server 2000 to eliminate the different
operating system variables. As far as the internet going down, we are
going to get a point to point data connection, so that even if the
microwave internet fails, we will still have communication. These two
variables eliminated should help us determine any other Active
Directory FRS issues. Okay, so I noticed on another post you were
discussing that DFS does not do well with volatile data, such as files
that are consistently being changed, word and excel for example. You
mentioned R2 DFSR would be up to the task of replicating "volatile
data". We have been pretty successful so far using the DFS with our
setup, maybe our data isn't considered volatile enough?

dknell27 · Guest

I forgot to mention that our data to be replicated is near 100 GB, and
that we probably write/change about 3 GB of data per week. Again, this
has been pretty successful despite having to restage the entire replica
set 3 times now. Should I strongly consider going to Legato Replestor?
and forget about using FRS?

Paul Williams [MVP] · Guest

If FRS is doing the job, then stick with it. FRS can work very well - it's
just a bit cumbersome with large, frequently changing files as it replicates
at the file level.

If you can hold on for R2, the new DFSR is vastly superior to FRS. You can
even save copies of files in an existing replica and these won't be
replicates - only the delta changes are. So if you had a ten MB PPT file,
called a.ppt and opened it and did a Save As b.ppt, DFSR would only
replicate the differences as it can see it has a file that is almost the
same, and therefore uses that.

Awesome stuff.

--
Paul Williams
Microsoft MVP - Windows Server - Directory Services
http://www.msresource.net | http://forums.msresource.net

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